Working It

After all the craziness of Black Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, I don’t know if I’m even qualified to make this list, haha! On normal days, though, this is how I save:

1. Never pay at retail price. Except for luxury items that you could never buy discounted, there’s always a coupon, rebate, cashback, or discount out there, somewhere, for any of your purchases. What you can save from your purchases, you can use to buy other things. That’s stretching your dollar for you.

2. Wear a sweater. For one, I dislike turning on the heater inside our home, as far as I’m able, because the heat literally gives me nosebleeds. Instead of cranking up the thermostat, I just put on a sweater or cuddle with someone to recycle body heat *wink*.

3. Sleep early. Not only does it do your body good, but most home appliances like the TV, computer, stereo system, as well as the lights are turned off early, too. More healthy energy saved for your body, less electrical energy consumed.

4. Doing Full Loads of Laundry. Maximizing the space that your washer has also maximizes your savings.

5. Use Cloth Diapers. I know how convenient a disposable diaper really is if you have a baby, but by using washable cloth diapers, you save at least a hundred dollars minimum in your budget.

6. Drive Instead of Fly. Whenever you have to travel somewhere, especially if it involves only eight to ten hours of drive time, and most especially if you have a family of four or more, just drive it. For one, you can bring as many stuff as you want to keep everybody entertained without having to pay for excess baggage, if any. Plus, with the low price of gas these days, it makes better sense.

7. Have Home-Cooked Meals. For the cost of one meal out with the whole family, you can already have a week’s worth of fresh, home-cooked food.

8. Get A Library Card or Download Free Ebooks. I take home about 3 books and 5 DVDs a week from the library and, if my eyes can still take it, go through about two more ebooks in a week. I can’t begin to count how much I’ve saved by taking full advantage of the library. And, best of all, its free!

9. Subscribe to a VOIP Service. We only pay a flat rate of $25/month to call family and friends anywhere in the US and Canada, as well as some countries overseas. Our old phone service, even with a bundle, used to cost a minimum of $33/month and that’s without long-distance calling and other special features like call waiting, forwarding, etc. Of course, you will need high-speed internet for it to work but, who doesn’t have fast internet nowadays? You will be surprised by the great service as well as the great savings!

10. Keep a Piggy Bank. Never underestimate the power of spare change. I have been shooting my spare change into an old tin can for the past two months. I actually saved enough to buy myself and my daughter a pair of matching sweaters (see #2, haha!).

How about you? What are your 10 Ways to Save Money?

MrsWorkingGirl :: Dec.02.2008 :: Ten on Tuesday ::